SAN DIEGO -- Austin Hedges capped a four-run seventh inning with a three-run home run off the third deck of the Western Metal Building Friday night. That was enough to make a winner out of Vista High School graduate Trevor Cahill in his first home start at Petco Park, as the Padres beat the Marlins, 5-3.
Both starters pitched crisp one-run ball, before the Padres' bats came alive against the Miami bullpen. William Myers drove in the go-ahead run with a double-play grounder, before reliever David Phelps intentionally walked Yangervis Solarte. Hedges made the Marlins pay for that decision, launching a projected 430-foot shot for his fourth homer in the past week.
"We know he can hit and hit for power," said Padres manager Andy Green. "We've known it the whole time. When he was 0-for-20-whatever to start the season, other people doubted it. Nobody in house doubted it."
Marcell Ozuna plated the Marlins only run off Cahill with a big fly of his own in the top of the second. He turned around a 1-1 curveball and sent it into the second deck in left field at 109 mph. The ball traveled a projected 433 feet -- the second longest at Petco Park this season.
J.T. Realmuto followed with a single, but Cahill wouldn't allow another Marlins hitter to reach base until the seventh. He allowed that lone run on three hits, while striking out six.
"Usually, I'm a guy that the harder I try, the worse I do, being a sinkerballer," said Cahill, who acknowledged that he was a bit more amped up, pitching for his childhood team in front of his hometown fans. "But I was able to be myself, keep the ball down. They've got a really good young lineup over there. It was tough to navigate, but Hedgy called a good game and we played good defense."
Marlins lefty Adam Conley, who had never faced the Padres, matched Cahill, with one run over six innings.
"I got into a better rhythm and a better feel of what I wanted to do,'' Conley said. "I also got a better feel of these guys, too.''
Miami mounted a ninth-inning rally, which included a Giancarlo Stanton rocket homer, but former-Marlin Brad Hand sealed the Padres' victory by inducing a game-ending grounder to short.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bunting clinic: The Marlins put the wheel play on after the first two men reached base in bottom of the seventh. Erick Aybar was bunting, and everyone in the stadium knew it. No matter; Aybar dropped the perfect roller up the third base line, and Realmuto slipped after scrambling to barehand the ball. Aybar was credited with a hit, and the Padres' decisive rally ensued.
"It was perfectly laid down," Green said. "Right before the bunt I was pushing dew off the pad right beside me. The field was getting wet, and that's what happened."
Off and running:Manuel Margot led off the game by showcasing his other-worldly wheels with a triple to right field. He scored one pitch later on Aybar's sacrifice fly, giving the Friars an early edge. But that lead was short-lived, as Ozuna launched his mammoth home run in the following frame.
QUOTABLE
"I'm just leaving balls in the middle of the plate. It's getting to the point where it is embarrassing.'' -- Marlins reliever David Phelps, after surrendering four runs in two innings of work
WALK THIS WAY
Hunter Renfroe's plate discipline has been well documented. It's the one aspect of his offensive game that needs to be honed. Through his first 67 career plate appearances, the Padres right fielder had never worked himself an unintentional walk.
But after a pair of singles in his first two at-bats Friday night, Renfroe looked at a 3-2 slider from Conley that finished well out of the strike zone. It marked his first free pass of the season and capped an impressive night at the dish.
"He's had really good at-bats," Green said. "A walk is a byproduct of a really good at-bat. He had [some] really good ones today -- battle at-bats with two strikes."
WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins:Dan Straily gets the start in the second game of the three-game set Saturday as he will be facing the Padres for the first time. In his last two starts, Straily, a right-hander has worked 10 ⅓ innings and allowed two runs and three hits.
Padres: Even with a fastball that has averaged 84 mph this season, Jered Weaver has been sharp since joining the Padres this past offseason. He's coming off consecutive outings in which he lasted six frames and allowed two earned runs. The veteran right-hander is slated for his first start at Petco Park this season Saturday with first pitch against Miami slated for 5:40 p.m. PT.
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